The class was designed in , as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types of the Porter and Somers classes. Some went on to serve during the Korean War and into the Vietnam War. The United States Navy commissioned Fletcher -class destroyers between and , more than any other destroyer class, and the design was generally regarded as highly successful.
Sumner and Gearing classes were Fletcher derivatives. The long-range Fletcher -class ships performed every task asked of a destroyer, from anti-submarine warfare and anti-aircraft warfare to surface action. Three have been preserved as museum ships in the U. The Fletcher class named for Admiral Frank F. Fletcher , Medal of Honor recipient was the largest destroyer class ordered. It was also one of the most successful and popular with their crews. Compared to earlier classes built for the United States Navy , the Fletcher s carried a significant increase in lethal firepower, including anti-aircraft AA weapons and increased armor plating; this contributed to greater displacement and overall weight and height increase.
Their flush deck construction added structural strength; however, it did make them cramped, as less crew space was available below decks compared with a raised forecastle. The Fletcher class was the first generation of destroyers designed after the series of naval treaties that had limited ship designs heretofore.
The growth in the design was in part a response to the challenge that had dogged U. Navy designs in coping with long range operations in the Pacific Ocean. They were also to carry no fewer than five 5 in mm guns and ten deck-mounted torpedo tubes on the centerline, allowing them to meet any foreign design on equal terms.
Compared to earlier designs, the Fletcher s were large, allowing them to adapt to evolving defensive priorities through the addition of two millimeter 1. This addition to the AA suite required the deletion of the forward quintuple torpedo mount, a change done under the 4 April anti- kamikaze program. Fletcher s were also much less top-heavy than previous classes, allowing them to take on additional equipment and weapons without major redesign.
